When to let someone starve
Posted by Raquel Soto at 12/26/2007 2:08 PM and is filed under Bible,archives,Devotionals,Christian,Happiness,Success 
Today's power verse comes from verse 16: The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render reason.
Sluggards are mentioned quite often in Proverbs. Sluggards are people who don't want to work. They are naturally lazy and move in slow pace. Moving in a slow pace isn't a bad thing. But it is when laziness is the reason.
A person who is a sluggard will blame everything and everyone around them for their lack. Even if seven wise men told the sluggard it's because of their own doing, the sluggard wouldn't believe them.
So what do you do with a sluggard person? Let him starve (Pro. 20:4). When you feed a sluggard, it only encourages him to continue to be lazy. If he's forced to work to eat, he will work! Hunger is a strong physical response. It will make people do things they normally don't want to do. This includes shaking the sluggard out of laziness. Even if it's only temporary so that he can eat.
This sounds contradictory to what God tells us to do for people, especially the poor. But we can't presume that all poor need our help. There are some people that are poor because they are lazy. Just like there is some people who are diligent wasters. They aren't lazy in their jobs, but they are lazy when it comes to putting into practice good financial sense.
As sorry as you might feel for a lazy person, not feeding him would be the best thing you can do for him/her.
NOTES
How would you handle a sluggard if it was your child? Spouse? Friend?
Sluggards are mentioned quite often in Proverbs. Sluggards are people who don't want to work. They are naturally lazy and move in slow pace. Moving in a slow pace isn't a bad thing. But it is when laziness is the reason.
A person who is a sluggard will blame everything and everyone around them for their lack. Even if seven wise men told the sluggard it's because of their own doing, the sluggard wouldn't believe them.
So what do you do with a sluggard person? Let him starve (Pro. 20:4). When you feed a sluggard, it only encourages him to continue to be lazy. If he's forced to work to eat, he will work! Hunger is a strong physical response. It will make people do things they normally don't want to do. This includes shaking the sluggard out of laziness. Even if it's only temporary so that he can eat.
This sounds contradictory to what God tells us to do for people, especially the poor. But we can't presume that all poor need our help. There are some people that are poor because they are lazy. Just like there is some people who are diligent wasters. They aren't lazy in their jobs, but they are lazy when it comes to putting into practice good financial sense.
As sorry as you might feel for a lazy person, not feeding him would be the best thing you can do for him/her.
NOTES
How would you handle a sluggard if it was your child? Spouse? Friend?
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From the December 26th page of The 1 Minute Guide to Health, Wealth, and Happiness: Wisdom from the book of Proverbs. Exclusively now @ lulu.com . Both paperback and download available.
Simply made to change your life.
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
For the best results, read Chapter 26 of Proverbs.
Simply made to change your life.
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
For the best results, read Chapter 26 of Proverbs.
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